Gabba hey! It’s been 40 years since we first saw Riff Randall and the Ramones take the halls of Rock ’N’ Roll High School. To celebrate this punk rock anniversary Shout! Factory is releasing Rock ‘N’ Roll High School (40th Anniversary Edition Steelbook) on November 19th, available for preorder now from Amazon and shoutfactory.com.
Special features include a new 4K scan from the original camera negative, and a new feature-length documentary titled “Class Of ’79: 40 Years Of Rock ‘N’ Roll High School” – featuring Interviews with director/story writer Allan Arkush, co-director/story writer Joe Dante, actress P.J. Soles, screenwriter Richard Whitley, screenwriter Russ Dvonch, cinematographer Dean Cundey, editor Larry Bock, and more.
With explosive musical performances from the Ramones, the outrageous candor of teenage angst and nostalgic reverie of a counterculture rock movement, Rock ’N’ Roll High School has captured the hearts of many generations.
Executive produced by Roger Corman and directed by Allan Arkush (Heroes), Rock ’N’ Roll High School boasts performances by the Ramones and stars P.J. Soles (Halloween) in the lead role of Riff Randell, Vince Van Patten (Hell Night), Clint Howard (Grand Theft Auto), Dey Young (Spaceballs), Mary Woronov (Death Race 2000), Dick Miller (Piranha) and Paul Bartel (Hollywood Boulevard).
Based on Arkush’s own high school fantasy, the 1979 cult film takes place at Vince Lombardi High School — the wildest, most rockin’ high school around! That is, until a thug of a principal, Miss Togar, comes along and tries to make the school a totalitarian state. With the help of the Ramones, the students of Vince Lombardi battle Miss Togar’s iron-fisted rule and take their battle to a truly rockin’ conclusion!
Rock ’N’ Roll High School quickly developed a devoted following after its release in 1979 and became a mainstay of the midnight movie cult circuit. As with films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, audience members began to dress up like the cast and the Ramones for screenings.
Arkush, a self-described “unabashed rock ’n’ roll fanatic,” chose the Ramones to star as the film’s musical heroes, as he felt they epitomized pure rock ’n’ roll. As Arkush remembers, “We staged a live, marathon show at the Roxy Theatre that consisted of 22 hours of nonstop Ramones,” and the tireless quartet also wrote two songs for the film: “I Want You Around” and “Rock ’N’ Roll School.” The Ramones were fans of Corman as well. Johnny Ramone said in an interview at the time, “When we found out Roger Corman was behind the picture, we said, sure, we’ll do it because we knew he had a reputation and we knew he made good movies.”
Rock ‘N’ Roll High School (40th Anniversary Edition Steelbook) Bonus Features:
- NEW 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
- NEW “Class Of ’79: 40 Years Of Rock ‘N’ Roll High School” – Featuring Interviews With Director/Story Writer Allan Arkush, Co-Director/Story Writer Joe Dante, Actress P.J. Soles, Screenwriter Richard Whitley, Screenwriter Russ Dvonch, Cinematographer Dean Cundey, Editor Larry Bock, And More!
- Audio Commentary With Allan Arkush, Mike Finnell And Richard Whitley
- Audio Commentary With Allan Arkush And Actors P.J. Soles And Clint Howard
- Audio Commentary With Richard Whitley And Russ Dvonch
- Audio Commentary With Executive Producer Roger Corman And Actress Dey Young
- “Back To School: A Retrospective” With Interviews From Allan Arkush, Executive Producer Roger Corman And More
- “Staying After Class”: An Interview With Actors P.J. Soles, Vincent Van Patten And Dey Young
- Interview With Roger Corman Conducted By Leonard Maltin
- Interview With Allan Arkush Including A Look At Rare, Behind-The-Scenes Stills
- Audio Outtakes From The Roxy
- Original Radio Ads And TV Spot
- Theatrical Trailer